Rough Riders Bundle 1(books 1, 2, 3) (69 page)

He stumbled backward over an old milking stool and landed on his butt. He couldn’t speak because he wanted to throw up.

“Carter? You okay, bud?”

“I have to get rid of them.”

His brothers exchanged a look. Cord said, “Get rid of what?”

“The pictures of Macie.” He pointed to a stack of frames against the far wall. “There are more like that.”

“More?”

“They were going to be part of my show. The biggest part.”

“You’re fucking kiddin’, right?”

His bleary-eyed gaze zoomed to Colby. “No.”

Colby stared at him in silence for several seconds. “There are things between a man and woman that should stay private, and I ain’t just talking about sex. Lines you don’t cross. Stuff you don’t share with nobody.”

“I didn’t get it until now.”

“At least you figured it out before you put up them pictures. I see they didn’t teach you everything in college.”

“I know it’s stupid, but I’m just so crazy in love with her I wanted everyone to know it. To see how lucky I am. To brag that this…perfect woman is mine. That she picked
me
. That she loves
me
.”

“What do you care that the whole world knows that?” Colt said. “Jeez, Carter, the only important thing is
you
know.”

Colby and Cord both gave Colt an odd look.

“I-I have to get rid of them. Burn them. But I don’t know if I can. Because it is her, looking at me, and it’d be like I was destroying her or a part of her…”

Cord’s gaze hooked his. For once no accusation or condescension burned in his eyes. Just compassion. “I’ll do it.”

Carter nodded. “Thanks. I have to make this right. I don’t even know where to start.”

“A shower would be good,” Colt suggested.

“Then I’m thinking you need to eat a helping of crow.” Colby grinned and smacked Carter on the back. Hard. “A big helping of
Big Crow
.”

Carter groaned. “No. Anything but that.”

“Look at it this way, at least your face ain’t gonna look any worse when he gets through with you this time.”

*

Gemma sagged against
Cash as they watched Carter McKay’s pickup zip down the gravel road. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

His arms tightened around her but he said nothing for several minutes. Finally, he kissed the top of her head. “I’m glad Macie wasn’t wrong in falling for him. I’d hate to think…”

She waited for a response that was a long time in coming. “Hate to think what?” she prompted.

“That my daughter would believe all men she allowed in her life would let her down at some point. God knows I did.”

“Cash, you’re working on changing that. Macie knows you’re trying, that’s why she’s sticking around. Even before Carter showed up full of apologies, you and I both knew Macie wasn’t goin’ nowhere. She wants to be in your life. She
wants
to count on you. We both know that kinda trust doesn’t happen overnight. Nothin’ worthwhile ever does.”

He sighed. “I hope they can work it out. My girl deserves a chance at happiness.”

“Speaking of chances… I was a little surprised you didn’t bust Carter’s chops and gave him a second chance.”

“Takes a big man to admit he was wrong. Takes a bigger man to apologize and swear to make it right. Besides, where would any of us be without second chances, eh?”

Gemma knew the smartest thing she’d done was taking a chance with her heart, and getting a second chance at love. “Every day you give me a new reason to love you, Cash.”

“I still think I got the better end of the deal. You see the best in situations and people, not the worst. How you saw beyond a vagabond rodeo Indian cowboy with ties to nothin’ and no one—”

Gemma spun in his arms. “I saw a good man with a good heart. I still see that.” She kissed his chin. “Neither one of us is perfect. We’ve both been rode hard by life; we’ve got a lot of miles on us. But we ain’t used up yet.”

“Thank God. The way I look at it, we have a good forty or fifty years left together.” He waggled his eyebrows beneath his Stetson. “So, purty boss lady, you wanna mess around a little before we start chores?”

“Always. But there is one thing I want to talk to you about.”

“Sounds serious.”

“It is. I want to stop using condoms. I don’t like the damn things.”

Cash went utterly still before he leaned down and locked his gaze to hers. “What are you saying, Gem?”

“If I get pregnant, then I get pregnant. If I don’t, it wasn’t meant to be. I know I’m old and the risks are huge, but I feel like this might be a second chance for both of us.”

“You humble me,
winyan
.” He placed one hand on her belly and one on her heart. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Now take me to bed or I’ll fire you for slacking on the job.”

‡

The next evening

“I
t’s my last
night here and I don’t want to be a wallflower at some street dance.”

“Macie, you promised. Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“Fun for who? I won’t know anyone.” A dance was the dead last place she’d ever see Carter McKay. Not that she’d be looking for him or anything.

“You’ll know me.” Amy Jo inserted her contact and blinked. “Keely always ditches me at these things anyway, so it’ll be nice for me not to sit by myself for a change.”

“You sure you won’t ditch me the second you catch sight of Cord McKay? Especially when he sees you all tramped up?”

“He wouldn’t look twice at me if I rode into town buck-ass nekkid on the back of a purple longhorn bull.” Amy Jo snorted. “The only reason Cord would talk to me is to ask me if I’d babysit Ky.”

“And you’d ditch me in a heartbeat to do it.”

“Nope. As much as I love that little guy, my babysitting days are over. I’m officially a college coed so I’d better start acting like one.”

“Been watching
Girls Gone Wild
DVDs for some ideas, Miss Amy Jo?”

“No. I’ve been watching Keely McKay for years, which is better.” She grinned. “And you’re supposed to be calling me AJ, remember?”

“My mistake, AJ.” Macie studied Amy Jo—AJ—as she applied eyeliner. AJ was dead wrong if she thought any man could overlook her. With her white-blonde hair, enormous gray eyes, pouty red lips, and long legs, she looked every inch a cool, sleek Scandinavian model—not at all like the Wyoming cowgirl in pigtails and dirty jeans that Macie had met just last month.

AJ adjusted her black silk bustier. “What are you wearing?”

Macie glanced down at her white eyelet camisole shirt and faded jean skirt. “What’s wrong with this?”

“Nothing. Oops we’re late.” Her smile seemed strained. “Let’s go. I’ll drive.”

“But I thought I’d drive so if I want to leave—”

“Huh-uh. You’re riding with me. Or I can call Keely. You choose. But I believe she said something about making an entrance on a Harley.”

“That was just plain cold, AJ.”

She spun the keys on her finger. “This is gonna be so great.”

Macie froze. A strange feeling rippled through her. “What?”

“You’ll see. Let’s go find us some cowboys to tame, girlfriend.”

*

Two blocks of
Main Street were cordoned off. Macie and AJ wove through pickups and four-wheel drive vehicles lining the side street. Shouts sounded above the bass line of the Western song blasting from the loudspeakers.

Macie was having a hard time keeping up with AJ’s long-legged strides, mostly because she was dragging her feet. She wanted to go home.

When she’d left the Bar 9 last week, she had no destination in mind. She’d ended up at Kat’s apartment in Denver. While she’d been wallowing in ice cream, margaritas and Kat’s pierogis, Amy Jo Foster had called her. She and Keely McKay were headed for Denver to finalize a few last minute things and had a couple of questions on the metro-Denver area.

Neither Keely nor AJ asked why Macie was in Colorado instead of Wyoming. Neither asked about Carter. Instead, they’d spent a few days together. She showed them around the city. Tagged along while they picked out furnishings for their apartment. When AJ heard about Macie’s new horse, she asked her to hang out and ride horses at the Foster ranch. Macie admitted the week went by faster than she imagined. The days did anyway. The nights were long, and the only time she allowed herself to cry over Carter McKay.

Right now, she just wanted to hop in her Escape and drive back to Canyon River and try to rebuild her life. She missed her dad. She missed Gemma. She missed Velma and the diner. She missed the ranch. She missed Carter something fierce.

Damn.

Don’t think of him. Think of how next week, he’ll be plastering naked pictures of you in Jackson Hole.

It made her ache. She wasn’t wrong about her ultimatum to Carter, but it’d never hurt so bad to be right.

AJ stopped abruptly. “Damn.”

“What?”

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Now?”

“Right now.” AJ started up the sidewalk to a small white building, with the words
Community Center
centered above the door. The windows were dark.

“AJ, I don’t think there’s anyone in there. The door is probably locked.”

“Hah. Nothing is ever locked around here. Come on.”

Macie followed her inside. The interior door creaked. The main room was pitch black so she followed the sound of AJ’s high-heeled boots clicking on the tile. Then the lights were flipped on. She blinked.

And saw him.

She blinked again.

Carter McKay was still standing in front of her.

“Macie. You’re here.”

She whirled around and saw AJ slipping out the door. Traitor. Her heart pounded like a bass drum when she faced him again.

Carter looked bad. Why did that make her feel good?

Why did her eyes drink him in like nectar anyway?

“I’m sorry.”

Macie waited, letting him know that a simple, “I’m sorry” or “I missed you” wouldn’t be enough this time.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You did.” Her gaze zoomed across the scabs and bruises covering his face. “Looks like someone put the hurt on you.”

Carter rubbed his jaw. “Well, your dad has a wicked right cross, darlin’.”

“You got into a fistfight with my dad?”

“Yep. And he still didn’t knock any sense into me.”

Why hadn’t her father told her that he and Carter exchanged blows? “Is he okay?”

“He looks about the same as I do.”

“When did this happen?”

“Last week. When I came looking for you.”

“Why did you come looking for me?”

“To demand you quit bein’ so stupid and childish and fall in line with my way of thinking. Then Cash told me you were gone, and I figured you were gone for good. And I…completely lost it, Macie. I lost my ever-lovin’ mind.

“I accused him of stuff; he accused me of stuff. It was ugly. In retrospect it was one of the most embarrassing moments of my life. Although, at the time I was mad as hell and bleeding inside and out, and I thought you were all wrong.” Carter took a deep breath. “Turns out
I
was wrong.”

She waited.

“But I was hurt by you, too. Not only by your leaving, but because I wanted you to like the pictures. There was no ulterior motive when I started painting you. I really did create them from my heart. And I was so damn excited from a professional perspective that I’d captured the pure essence of you. I was so busy patting myself on the back, telling myself you’d come around and see the pictures the way I did…that I lost sight of the fact I’d lost
you
.”